The use of publicly accessible or open terminals with visual monitors has greatly increased in recent years. The public may use such a terminal, for example, to access the Internet to perform E-mail and other functions, to view television, movies, or other video programs, to play video games, to complete financial transactions, and to view personal information such as health records, personnel files, and retirement accounts. In many cases, the terminals have been used in areas open to the public, such as in airport terminals, shopping malls, and parking lots, and in areas open to select members of the public, such as hospitals lobbies and business offices. For a number of reasons, such terminals are often located in partitions, e.g., within partially or fully enclosed kiosks, booths, or the like or behind windows, screens, or other structures designed to allow individuals to view the terminal or user area and to allow users to view an area external to the partitions. For example, such partitions have included semi-enclosed, partial walls and fully-enclosed, transparent or windowed walls. In this manner, a measure of privacy is provided to the user while potential users can see the terminal area and determine if the terminal is available for their use. Similarly, users can see out of the privacy system to allow them to, for example, stay in visual contact with other people, their belongings, and potential users.
As can be appreciated, many users of the terminals would prefer substantially more privacy than provided by current practices. For example, a user may be uncomfortable completing financial transactions at terminals located in certain locations (e.g., secluded parking lots) where account balances or withdrawal amounts are displayed on the visual monitor in view of onlookers. An unscrupulous observer may be more likely to attempt a robbery of the user when the displayed balances are relatively large than when the observer cannot see the displayed information. Similarly, a user may desire more privacy if the terminal provides access to the Internet and the user wishes to conduct business activities involving confidential information or if the terminal provides access to and displays retirement account information or health records. Further, the terminal may provide access to information of an adult nature bringing about a need for protecting young observers by preventing them from seeing the information displayed on the visual monitor.